The Namibian Welwitschias will be represented by an exciting blend of youth and experience when they take on Uganda in a friendly international rugby match at Walvis Bay on Saturday. Namibia’s director of rugby, Jacques Burger, yesterday named the Namibian squad which sees five newcomers in the starting 15, as well as several experienced national players. The newcomers are fullback Aston Muukwilongo of recently crowned Premier League champions FNB Kudus; wing Jurgen Meyer of FNB Wanderers; flyhalf Godwin Silvanus, who plays club rugby in Romania; lock Oliver Kurz, who plays in Japan; and prop Otja Auala of the Rhinos Rugby Academy in the Cape province. Besides them, there are several experienced players in the squad like the loose trio of Max Katjijeko, Adriaan Booysen, and Prince !Gaoseb, who will captain the side; the centre combination of Alcino Isaacs and the vice-captain Danco Burger; and the wily scrumhalf Jacques Theron and prop Haitembu Shikufa, who both represented Namibia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Burger said he was excited to see how the newcomers will do on Saturday. “We’ve got a very exciting lineup. It’s a good blend of foreign-based and local players, and I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for the newcomers. I think the main idea of playing Uganda first is to get some exposure, to see where they’re at, and to see how we can perform against African teams. African teams offer a different challenge than other teams like the Pumas and Italy – they play a different brand of rugby, so it’s going to be great to get that match time against them. “There are a couple of youngsters coming through, like Otjo Auala, who’s just come back from the Rhino Academy in South Africa, and I’m very excited about him. They said some great things about him, his work ethic, the type of person he is, and I think that’s the main thing: looking at the team list when you see the players and their names, they are good human beings, good players, but also great people, and that’s what we want to do. We want to create a culture where we have great people on and off the field and create that environment where we really care for each other and fight for each other on the pitch. We’ve got talent all over the team, and I’m excited to see everyone out on the pitch,” he said. “The more experienced guys bring back so much value to the younger guys, and I think that combination will shine through this weekend,” he added. “Armand Combrinck plays for Stellenbosch and WP U21 – he’s a young prospect that we want to give an opportunity, and with the guidance of Chukkie (LP van der Westhuizen), to give him that experience and knowledge to grow as a hooker. He’ll become a valuable player for us. “Oliver Kurz plays in Japan; he’s a big boy. He has a good attitude, and it will be great to see him out on the field on Saturday to see what he can do. We want to see what he can bring physically to the pitch; he’s tall, he’s a big boy, who does well in the lineouts, and he’s got a great head on his shoulders. “Godwin Silvanus plays in Romania; he’s got a lot of skills. I think communication is going to be key for him, and that’s why we brought in Andre van den Berg as well, just to give him that guidance and confidence to run the game and to see where he’s at, and possibly get into the mix for the next couple of games and possibly for the Africa Cup as well. So that’s a big opportunity for him as well, which I’m sure he will use. “Aston (Muukwilongo) has been exciting throughout the Premier League; he has played some great attacking rugby, and it will be great to see him in our setup and to see how he manages a team. Decision-making is going to be extremely important at the back; we know he can score tries, we know he’s got speed. He’s a quiet guy who goes about his business, but it’s going to be great to see him in action. Hopefully, he will get some space and some attacking opportunities, and hopefully, we will see some great tries from him,” he said. The Welwitschias team is as follows:Aston Muukwilongo, Jurgen Meyer, Alcino Isaacs, Danco Burger, Quirione Majiedt, Godwin Silvanus, Jacques Theron, Adriaan Booysen, Max Katjijeko, Prince !Gaoseb (captain), Johan Luttig, Oliver Kurz, Haitembu Shikufa, Armand Combrinck, Otja Auala.Reserves: Gerhard Thirion, Jason Benade, Sidney Halupe, Riaan Grove, Peter Diergaardt, AJ Kearns, Daniel van der Merwe, Manfred Garoeb, Owen Havanga, Andre van den Berg.